The shapes I create reflect an emotional response to what I see in nature, and also my vision as a furniture designer. I have developed a proprietary formula that allows me to sculpt slender forms that were not possible before using traditional materials, but the work itself remains indebted to, and part of, the long tradition of ferrocement faux bois. I am also indebted to the forests of New England.

The structure of trees is based on a very strict set of rules, yet also there is an element of chaos, a dynamic that is not necessarily conflict, but rather a system that we do not entirely grasp.

I wanted to capture a crude spiral movement, "grace under torture", which you often find in trees subjected to harsh conditions. There's a contradiction between the apparent fragility/decay of the subject and the strength and durability of the concrete in which it has been sculpted.

This top, with its many holes and cracks, appears to be very old and fragile. In actuality, it is made from an extremely dense proprietary concrete with a rebar frame.